What Jesus really said

Noël Staples reviews an imaginative response to the teachings of Christ

by Noël Staples 2nd December 2016

In his new book The Upside-Down Bible: What Jesus really said about money, sex and violence, Symon Hill admits that he and, indeed, all of us are biased! His perspective is that of an associate of the socialist Christian thinktank Ekklesia, a broadcaster, journalist (formerly with the Friend), Christian activist and theologian. He writes mostly on peace matters, disarmament, sexuality and the role of religion in society. As a contemplative Quaker, not a Christian (I identify strongly with Christian ethics), I wondered, before reading Symon Hill’s book, why anyone would want to make the intellectual effort to understand, or even know, what Jesus said or meant.